Agitator for oil wells



Patented Feb. 1, 1927.

p l F ICE.

WALTER Gn BISBEE AND BEN P. HOFFMAN, OF IBRISTOVV, OKLAHOMA.

AGITA'IOB/ FOR OIL WELLS Application filed April 7,

The present device is designed for use in connection with deep well drilling such as is common in drilling for oil and involves a construction capable of use in several operations, each of which is a step such as will. increase oil production in a well.

In the tirst instance, the device may be lowered into a well and reciprocated from a beam thereby inducing a pressure and in vacuum and causing the gas to break through the wall ot the well, the gas increasing the pressure and consequent delivery of the oil.

As a packer, the invention will be obvious when the arrangement is inverted, the

double rubber being amply protected by the caps and being expansible through internal pressure from the well through the cap openings.

In this position the flow will be through 29 the small central tube and the small diameter of the tube will result in the oil being forced upwardly by increased pressure.

As a swab, the upper valve is released and acts as a check. The coil spring is adjusted to permit automatic release ot the fluid through the ports under 'excess pressure. The approximate point of release is adjustable. Y

Heretotore, each of the three operations outlined have necessarily been obtained by three separate devices, but by their present construction and arrangement of parts, applicants are enabled to utilize only one device in performing each of the three opera- R5 tions.

Reference will be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of' this speci ication and wherein like numerals of reference designate like parts througl'iout the .6 several views, in which:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view;

Figure 2 is a side elevation; and

Figure 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Referring now to the details of construction, the upper portion of the apparatus, including the valves, is encased in a hollow body structure indicated by reference character 1. This valve body terminates at its upper end in a tool gripping portion or pin 2 which contains a similar elongated central vertical bore 3 in which is located the stem 4 ot the valve 5. A set screw 6 is provided to lock the valve stem in adjusted position, and this set screw 6V extends transversely through the tool gripping portion, as is 1924. Serial No. 704,370.

clearly shown in Figure- 1. Beneath the stem 2 is a valve chamber internally threaded at 7 for the receptionot the threaded plug 8. The plug 8, as shown in Figure S, is 'provided with a plurality of spaced vertical passages 9 which, during the operation of the apparatus as a swab, permits the automatic release of the excess liquid pressure. Normally, these vertical passages 9 are closed by means ofthe annular valve 10 which is retained in seated position by means of the spring 11. rlhe spring 11 is a coil spring and is retained in posit-ion by means of the extension 12 projecting downwardly from the valve 10, and also by means of the annular' collar 14 extending upwardly from the internally reduced lower portion of the valve casing. Attention is directed to the fact that the valver 1() is provided with a central passage 15 which communicates with the central passage 16 in the plug 8. The upper extremity of the passage 16 is beveled at 17 to form a valve seat for the reception lof the valve 5 heretofore mentioned.

An elongated tube 18 is threaded into the lower endof the valve chamber 1 and arranged on this tube are the two packers 19 and 20. Each of the packers 19 and 2O are provided with caps 21 and 22, respectively, the upper cap 21 abutting against the lower :tace of the valve chamber 1. A sealing means is provided at a to prevent loss of pressure between the parts.

Particular attention is called to the fact that the caps 21 and 22 are provided with relatively thin downwardly extending sleeves 23 and 24 which are designed for the purpose of protecting the rubber packers 19 and 20, asV will more clearly hereinafter appear. Likewise periforations 30 are provided in these caps as shown in Figure 1 to permit the well pressure to act upon the packer members 19 and 20.

The lower extremity of the tube 18 is externally threaded for the reception of Va lock nut 25 and upon this lock nut 25 rests the follower 26, thelatter supporting the lower packer member 20. A collar 27 is seated upon the upper cap 22 and spaces the upper and lower packer members. Upon this collar 2T the follower 28 is arranged and upon this Jfollower the upper packer 19 seats. rlhe arrangement ot the elements ot both packers is identical. Particular attention is called to the concave upper faces of the followers 26 and 28 upon which the base of the rubber packers seat and are thus more securely retained in position.

Obviously, the perforations 30 permit the admission of fluid against the inner Walls of the rubber packers and assist in the seating and expansion of the same, although their normal expansion is brought about by the Weightof the string of tools,

The various operations to which the present device may be adapted Will be obvious to one skilled in the art. lllhen the device is lowered in the Well on a cable connected to the conventional action of t-he Walking beam to reciprocate the same, the operation will result in either a partial vacuum or pressure Which will tend to assist the natural gas pressure to break through the Walls of the Well adjacent the oil-bearing sands and a consequent increase in the gas flow will result in a corresponding increase in Athe flow of the oil.

ln. this connection, it might be Well to note thatin a natural flow Well, that is, where the flow of' oil is controlled by the natural gas pressure, it is essential that this gas pressure be maintained, otherwise a pumping equipment is necessary to obtain production. lilith these facts in mind it Will ybe obvious that by inverting the ar rangement and utilizing the device as a packer, the small cent-ral tube 18 Will assist in production in that the gas and oil has a limited space in Which to act, thereduced space resulting in al concentration ot' the natural gasl forces and consequently extending the life of the Well in so far as natural production is concerned.

TWhen usedV as a swab it is intended that the valve l() with the check valve 5 prop` erly sea-ted will provide means to permit excess fluid Weight to escape. In other Words, in the event tha-t excess fluid is present in the svvabbing operation, it Will be obvious that this excess iiuid will be released by the movement of the valve l0 against the pressure of the spring l1. This spring pressure is adjustable to facilitate the release of the excess Weight at predetermined points.

When the device is used asV an agita-tor, the screw 6 is loosened and the valve 5 is `permitted to drop until it closes the port 16,.and then the screuT 6 is tightened to hold the valve 5 in itsclosed position. Consequently there Will be a tendency to create a vacuum beneath the device, each time the device is raised during its reciprocating movement.

lllhen the device is used as a packing and is placed in inverted position in the Well, the valve 5 may be left in the position shown in Fig. l, or it may be adjusted into the conical bore 17, so that it Will regulate the passage of fluid upwardly, in this case, through the pipe 18.

lf the device is used as a swab, the valve 5 may be adjusted to close the port 16, and then the only passage of fluid Will be by Way of' the apertures 9.

Then the device is used as a packer, it functions similar to the ordinary packer. it packs or partitions the Well so as to permit the accumulation of gas pressure below the packer, and When the pressure rises to a predetermined degree, the valve l() Will be forced oft its seat and the fluid from the Well may pass upwardly through the pipe 18.

lWhat is claimed as new and useful and is desired to be Vsecured by Letters Patent is:

l. ln a device of the class described, a section of' tubing, a valve casing arranged at one end of said tubing and having a spring pressed valve and a manually positioned valve, both used for regulating the fioiv ot iuid through said tubing, one of said valves permitting the flow ot fluid through the tubing- When the device is used as a packer, and the spring pressed valve permitting the flow of fluid through theV tubing in one direction only, and an expansible packer surrounding said tubing.

2. ln a device of the class described, an elongated tubular member, a packer sur rounding said tubular member, a valve chamber arranged at one extremity of said tubing and provided' with a check valve seat and a valve seat, a manually positioned valve cooperating With the check valve seat toA either entirely prevent or regulate the flow of fluid past the check Avalve seat, and a spring pressed valve cooperating With the valve seat. v

3. In a device oit the class described, including a tubular member, a packer on said tubular member, a valve chamber carried by said tubular member, an adjustable multi- Way valve in said valve chamber having ports, a closure for one of the ports of said multi-Way valve, means for retaining said closure in open position, a closure for the other ports ot' said multi-Way valve, and means for normally seating the latter closure.

lj In a device of the class described, including an elongated tubular member, a pair of spaced packers arranged on said tubular member, a valve chamber carried by the upper portion of said tubular member, a multi- Way valve in said valve chamber including a central passage and a plurality of surrounding passages, a valve for closing said central passage, means for locking said valve in adjusted position, and a springl actuated valve for closing the balance of' said passages in said valve member.

In a device of the character described, a section of tubing, a valve casing arranged at one end ot' said tubing and adapted to be connected to the tubing, a port in said casing,

fill

means adjustable from the exterior of the casing to permit the operator to entirely close said port or regulate the passage of fluid through said port, a second port arranged in the valve Casing, and a spring ports surrounding the first mentioned port,

and a spring` pressed valve controlling said series of ports and having an aperture forming a continuation of' the first mentioned port.

7. In a device of the kind described, a tubular member, an expansible packer associated with the tubular member, a valve casing connected to the tubular member and having an internal chamber communicating With the bore of the tubular member, a valve seat member forming part of' the valve casing and provided With a plurality of ports,

a manually controlled valve for entirely closing one of said ports, or for regulating the area of said port to control the passage of fluid therethrough, and a spring pressed valve arranged in the casing and adapted to control the passage of' fluid through the other one of said ports, said spring pressed valve having a fluid passage-Way therein.

8. In a device of the kind described, a tubular member, a hollow valve casing se'- cured to one end of the tubular member, expansilole packing means arranged on the tubularmember between the ends of' the latter, a valve seat member having its axis coaxial with the axis of' the tubular member, a manually controlled valve for either closing said port or varying the cross sectional area thereof' to control the passage of fluid therethrough, a series of ports in the valve seat member arranged around the central port, an annular valve controlling said series of ports and having a central aperture .forming a continuation of said central port, and a spring in the valve casing for forcing the annular valve toward said series of ports.

VALTER Gr.` BISBEE. BEN P. HOFFMAN. 

